


The Truth is More Complicated

by SingingInTheRaiin



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Gen, Good Morgana (Merlin), Jealous Arthur, M/M, Morgana and Merlin are bffs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-01
Updated: 2020-03-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 07:20:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22979758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SingingInTheRaiin/pseuds/SingingInTheRaiin
Summary: Morgana has had dreams of a strange boy for as long as she can remember. What she doesn't expect is to actually meet him in real life, the day he becomes Arthur's manservant. But soon she'll be glad for his presence in her life, because she couldn't imagine ever having a better friend.
Relationships: Merlin & Morgana (Merlin), Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 38
Kudos: 594
Collections: Merthur Fics





	The Truth is More Complicated

For as long as Morgana could remember, there were times where she had the most bizarre dreams. They always stood apart from her normal dreams, because even when the subject matter was innocent, they still filled her with a fear that she did not entirely understand.

The first of those dreams that she could clearly remember had been when she was around eight years old. She had dreamed about a little boy with messy black hair, blue eyes, and ears that were almost comically large on him. He had been curled up on the ground, sobbing over a dead kitten. A woman, presumably his mum, put her arms around him, and whispered to him that even he could not control life and death. 

Morgana never really understood why that moment had stood out to her so much, but it had. Over the years, she continued to have some particularly odd dreams, which only seemed to increase when she moved to Camelot, but perhaps the stranger part was that so many of them included that same boy, who seemed to get older each year, almost as though he was a real person. 

She watched him when his eyes glowed gold as he did magic, and as he ran around causing trouble with another boy, and as he did chores for his mother, and as he ate supper. Even when she saw him do magic, it was always small, boring, things. Overall, Morgana had no idea why her mind had created this character when nothing interesting ever happened with him. 

Still, in a strange way, Morgana found his presence in her dreams to be almost comforting. She never gave him a name, but she watched him grow up, and found herself rooting for him whenever he got into spats, and she woke up with her heart racing on the nights when she saw him suffer. He was almost like a friend, even if he was entirely unaware that he was just a person made up for the sake of Morgana’s dreams. She knew more about him than anyone else in those dreams did, and she felt like she truly knew him and understood him.

As Morgana grew older, some of her dreams became much more violent, and showed terrible fates for not only the dream boy but also Arthur, Uther, Gwen, and many other people that Morgana had never met before. Her sleep grew so troubled that she had to drag herself through her days with dark shadows under her eyes. She knew that it was bad when even Arthur had shown concern for her well-being, and eventually Morgana decided to go to Gaius for help. 

He gave her sleeping draughts to take at night, which didn’t stop the dreams, but at least allowed her to sleep through the night despite them. Morgana hoped that the dreams would stop soon, but she felt resigned to what felt like her new life. 

Everything changed the night that Uther declared some peasant boy to be Arthur’s new manservant. Morgana could only stare at the young man with wide eyes, because she recognized him immediately. She knew for sure that she’d never met him before, and yet there was no denying that he was identical to the boy she’d seen in her dreams for so long. It was impossible that her dreams could be real, but if they were- well, she could clearly picture just how many times the boy’s eyes had flashed gold. 

Morgana wanted desperately to speak with the boy, who Gwen informed her was named Merlin, but unfortunately Arthur seemed intent on running the boy ragged until he quit. Which meant that Merlin had no free time for Morgana to pull him aside and speak frankly with him. 

The opportunity ended up coming nearly a month after Merlin’s new appointment. Morgana had decided to go out for a ride, and she found Merlin in the stables, face pressed up against the neck of one of the horses. He was murmuring something too softly for Morgana to hear it, but the part that really caught her attention was that the horse he was talking to was one that had not yet been broken in, and had the bad habit of kicking or biting everyone that approached him. 

When Morgana cleared her throat, Merlin jerked his head up, and stared over at her with wide eyes. There was no way for Morgana to convince herself that those weren’t eyes that she already knew so well. “Lady Morgana! I was just, er-”

She held up one hand. “You don’t need to explain anything to me. I’m more impressed than anything. And please, don’t feel the need to stand on ceremony around me. You seem to have no trouble calling the prince by his name, and I would like it if you called me by mine.”

As he stepped away from the horse, his eyes darted around the room, though she had no idea what he might be looking for. “Are you sure… Morgana?” 

Morgana smiled as she nodded. “Yes.” Then she moved a bit closer to him, taking in every detail that was an identical match to the face from her dreams. Not that she’d had a single dream about Merlin since she’d first seen his face here in Camelot. It was all quite bizarre. “Is there any possibility that Arthur has given you the afternoon off?”

Merlin snorted before he could stop himself. “As if. That royal pr- er. He gives me a lot of work to do,” he amended. “If there’s something that you needed I’m sure that Gwen could-”

Morgana glanced around to make sure they were completely alone before she stepped closer to Merlin and spoke to him in a whisper so quiet that it was nearly inaudible. If she was wrong, and her dreams were just that, then there would be no harm done. But if she was right, she knew she’d be able to see the answer on Merlin’s face. “I know that you have magic,” she murmured, and then watched him closely. 

Merlin’s entire body went stiff for just a moment, and then he relaxed again, and there was a look on his face that indicated Morgana was being ridiculous. “Beg your pardon?”

Perhaps if she didn’t know him as well as she did, Morgana would have fallen for it. But she did know him, somehow. “Don’t bother denying it, I’ve seen you use it. Just tell me what business you have in Camelot.” She knew that Merlin was harmless, at least to those who earned his loyalty, but that only made it more confusing that he would come here at all. “This city- this castle- is the most dangerous place in the kingdom for a magic user, so why would you risk your life every single day just to wash Arthur’s bedsheets and scrub armor?”

For a moment she thought that Merlin would try to deny everything, but then his shoulders slumped down in defeat, and he let out a long sigh. “It’s my destiny,” he told her in a soft, yet earnest, voice. “Are you going to turn me in?”

Morgana started to shake her head before she could even think about it. “No. I- You know that I have terrible nightmares?” Merlin nodded as he looked at her curiously. “I have other dreams too. I dreamed of you long before you arrived in Camelot.”

His eyes widened, and it was clear that he wanted to ask more questions, but one of the stable hands came in, and it would be foolish to continue the conversation. “Tomorrow evening, we should speak more on this.”

Morgana nodded, and then went to her horse to get her ready to ride. She no longer felt in the mood, but it would look strange if she’d gone to the stables and then left after just a couple of minutes to return to the castle. Besides, the fresh air might do her some good, and give her time to ponder what she was going to do about Merlin. 

,,,

Morgana was pleased to discover that Merlin wasn’t scared to find out just how much she knew about him. And she was even more pleased to realize that knowing him in person made it easy to truly become his friend. He helped her try to interpret her dreams, and between the two of them, they were able to do a fairly decent job at managing to keep Arthur alive.

“Honestly, it’s a miracle that he’s lived this long,” Merlin said with a slight slur to his words, after he’d downed yet another cup of wine.

Morgana shrugged as she took a sip from her own goblet. “Believe it or not, but he wasn’t constantly in danger before you showed up.”

Merlin frowned. “Are you saying that it’s my fault that he-?”

She quickly shook her head. “Oh- oh no! I’m just saying that you arrived with perfect timing. He’s lucky to have you.” She paused for a moment to gather her courage, and then added something she’d been thinking for a while. “I’m lucky to have you as well.”

Merlin gave her a big grin, and then leaned over to pull her into a friendly hug. It was nice to have a friend like Merlin, and Morgana was glad that she didn’t have to feel afraid of herself anymore. 

The moment was interrupted when Morgana’s chamber door swung open and Arthur marched in. “Have you seen…” he trailed off when he saw Merlin and Morgana hugging. Merlin’s back was to the door, so he didn’t see it, but Morgana had a perfect view of the look in Arthur’s eyes. He looked far too angry for it to just be about the improperness of the embrace. “Merlin!” he barked, making the poor man jump up in alarm. “What do you think you’re doing in here, unsupervised? My shirts aren’t going to mend themselves!”

Merlin blinked a few times, and then laughed. “Alright, alright, I’ll go take care of it,  _ sire _ .” He offered an exaggerated bow, then stumbled forward slightly as he lost his balance. Arthur immediately stepped forward to catch him, but pulled his hands away the moment that Merlin was upright again. He mumbled something as Merlin sauntered out of the room.

Then Arthur turned to look at Morgana. He looked so lost that she nearly felt bad for him. Then he opened his mouth and all sympathy was abandoned. “What the hell do you think you’re doing? If someone else had been the one to walk in here, they’d have Merlin arrested for showing such familiarity towards you! You know that a servant could never be with someone in your position!”

Ah, so that was the reason Arthur held himself back. Morgana offered up one of her mischievous smiles that always served to annoy Arthur. “I will not stop hugging Merlin simply because he is a servant. We both know that he’s much more than that. Now unless there’s some other reason you have for complaining…?” She knew he wouldn’t admit to his feelings, but it was ever so amusing to watch the different expressions that flashed across his face.

Finally, he just threw his hands up and stormed out of the room, and Morgana didn’t bother to hold in her laughter. Of course she wanted Arthur and Merlin to both be happy, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to enjoy Arthur’s misery in the meanwhile. It was only fair, really, considering how much she and Merlin did for him on a constant basis without getting anything in return.

,,,

Maybe it should have been harder for Morgana to believe, but in the end there was no reason for her to doubt it. She actually had a sister who she had never met before. A sister with magic and a thirst for blood and power. It would have been frightening to try and face Morgause alone, but she didn’t have to, because Merlin was by her side. 

He gave her hand a tight squeeze as they walked through the woods to reach the spot Morgause’s message had instructed Morgana to go. Sure enough, the woman was waiting there, leaning up against a tree. She paused when she saw Merlin there, though. “You would bring a servant to this-”

“He’s no ordinary servant,” Morgana assured her sister. “Merlin is like us.”

Morgause’s gaze sharpened as she gave Merlin a sharp look, clearly reassessing how much of a threat he was. “A sorcerer working for the crown prince of Camelot? Why?”

Merlin cleared his throat as he stepped forward, but he didn’t let go of Morgana’s hand. “Arthur isn’t like his father. He is a good man, and when he is king, he will change everything. He’s already shown sympathy towards magic-users on many different occasions, and I know that he has always felt burdened by his father’s choices. You cannot judge him on his father’s actions.”

Morgause crossed her arms over her chest. “If you believe that, then why don’t you just kill Uther and let Arthur ascend to the throne right now?”

Merlin shook his head. “Arthur isn’t ready to be king yet. And besides, if his father was slain by magic, that would not convince him to repeal the ban on magic. Uther is only human, and he is already old. We can outlive him.”

“Not all of us can,” Morgause immediately snapped back. “How many of our sisters and brothers have already been slain under that tyrant’s rule? How many more will you allow to fall for the sake of waiting until Arthur is ‘ready’? You are a traitor to our kind, and-” she let out a noise of surprise when she was suddenly tossed back.

Morgana lowered her free hand and glowered at her sister. “You will not speak to him that way,” she said in a dangerously calm voice. “If you knew the kinds of dangers Merlin has put himself through even for the sake of saving any single person, you would not judge him. And besides, I believe in Arthur. If you truly care about the fate of our people like you claim, then you will be patient and allow us to sway him.”

Her sister’s face twisted as she got back to her feet. “And does this saintly prince of yours even know about your magic? Would he be so sympathetic if he knew that there were sorcerers right beneath his nose? Or would he shackle you in iron and throw you on the pyre?”

“Arthur isn’t like that,” Merlin insisted, and he sounded more sure about that than Morgana felt. She did believe in Arthur, but there was always a part of her that was worried about how he would react. “I am not scared to tell him the truth. The only reason I haven’t yet is because I know that it would put him in a terrible position. But just you wait. As soon as he is given the opportunity, Arthur will do the right thing.”

It was clear from the look on Morgause’s face that she was not convinced. “Well I hope for all of our sakes’ that you are right. But when you are inevitably proven wrong, feel free to come find me.” She hesitated for a moment before looking Morgana in the eyes. “I had hoped that I would find a sister tonight.”

Morgana felt herself softening. “You have,” she promised. “If you have need of me, you know where to find me. I can be your sister and still be loyal to Arthur.” She hesitated for a moment, and then let go of Merlin so that she could move forward and pull Morgause into an awkward hug. It took a few seconds, but then Morgause returned the gesture, and Morgana was pleased. Maybe they wouldn’t be able to convince Morgause to change her mind until she saw for herself that Arthur was good, but Morgana was still glad to have met the woman, and hoped that they would be able to see each other again.

,,,

When Uther died, Morgana wasn’t sure how she felt. He had been so cruel towards any he suspected of using magic, but it was clear that he had always loved her. She felt torn about whether she should be glad or not that she was dead. Though at least there was one thing she didn’t need to feel torn about. She knew for sure that she was glad to have Arthur as king. 

Just a few days after the crowning ceremony, once the festivities had died down, Morgana and Merlin both went to Arthur’s chambers to confront him. He looked confused for a moment, and then his eyes flicked down to their joined hands, and he clenched his jaw. 

Normally his jealousy would be a source of entertainment to Morgana, but at the moment she was far too nervous to feel amused. She could feel herself trembling all over, but she took strength from Merlin. He stood strong, as if he felt absolutely certain that Arthur would accept them.

“We have something to tell you,” Merlin started. 

Arthur scowled. “You can’t seriously think I didn’t figure it out on my own after all this time?” Merlin looked confused, but Arthur just barrelled on. “Bringing flowers to each other and always hugging and holding hands and slipping off to who knows where. Did you really think you were being subtle?”

Merlin blinked a few times. “What? No, Arthur, I’m trying to tell you that we-”

“Are courting,” Arthur interrupted. “I get it. What, are you here to ask my blessing? You think that just because I’m king now I’m going to ignore all the rules and let you just-”

Merlin stepped closer to Arthur, quickly shaking his head. “What? No! Morgana and I are just friends! I’m trying to tell you that we have magic!”

Silence rang out after that declaration, and Arthur looked shocked. “What?” He stepped back, and Merlin let him go. “What are you talking about? That’s impossible. You’ve- no, you can’t.”

Morgana didn’t care that Arthur was trying to put space between them, she just marched right up to him. “Both of us were born with it, Arthur. We had no choice in the matter. And we’ve only ever used our magic for the sake of you and this kingdom.”

It looked like Arthur was still in shock, and Morgana desperately hoped that none of her backup plans would be needed here. She waited for Arthur to say something, anything. “So you and Merlin-”

“Are sorcerers,” Morgana said gently, at the same time that Arthur said,

“Aren’t together?” 

The two of them looked at each other for a long moment, and then Morgana arched one eyebrow. “Seriously? We’ve just told you that we have magic and that’s what you’re concerned about? You are so hopeless.”

Arthur rolled his eyes. “I heard you, I just- will you give me a moment to talk with Merlin in private?”

Morgana grinned as she nodded and left the room. She had the feeling that Arthur wasn’t trying to have an in-depth discussion about magic, and she didn’t want to be anywhere nearby for the discussion that was going to be held instead.

,,,

Everyone cheered as a silver circlet was placed on Merlin’s head, and he was officially declared to be the prince-consort. Merlin looked very awkward in such nice clothes, and even more awkward to have everyone looking at him. But he bore it with as much grace as he could manage, and Morgana graciously decided to hold off on her teasing for at least a couple of days.

Once the ceremony was over and it was time for the festivities to celebrate the king’s marriage, Morgana pushed through the crowd to find her sister. She knew that the line of people who wanted to congratulate Merlin and Arthur would be very long, so she would just offer her congratulations later in private.

For now, she grabbed Morgause’s hand and tugged the woman out onto the dance floor. Morgause moved like she was born to be a dancer, and even though she had her usual stern expression on her face, Morgana could tell that her sister was pleased with how things in Camelot were going. Merlin was the first court sorcerer in decades, and Arthur had been in the process of reparations ever since he’d removed the ban on magic. 

That night, Morgana dropped into bed, exhausted from dancing and drinking. She was surprised when she found herself dreaming of the future. She was used to having those kinds of dreams, but it was the subject itself that was strange. Morgana hadn’t had a single dream about Merlin since the man had first moved to Camelot, but that night she dreamt of him anyways.

She saw him wandering a world that made no sense, full of loud noises and lots of people and strange contraptions. He had a beard that failed to disguise his youthful visage, and he walked for a while. Eventually he reached a lake, and he waded out into the water. 

There was a boat floating on the water, and Merlin pulled it back to the shore. Once he was on the sand, he sat down next to the empty boat. Morgana had no idea how much time passed before Merlin suddenly jolted up, and turned to look at the boat. 

It was no longer empty, as Arthur sat up, dressed in one of the casual outfits he used to wear back when he was the prince. He looked surprised to be there, but as soon as he spotted Merlin he hurried to get out of the boat and to pull his husband into a tight hug.

Then the two of them walked for a while, hand in hand, until they eventually reached a large building painted a garishly bright shade of red. Merlin knocked excitedly on the front door, and it was Morgana who pulled it open. She grinned, happy to see both of the men, and then led them inside. The house was full of everyone they loved, and everybody was so happy to see each other.

There was clearly a party going on, and Morgana made her way over to Arthur, who stood somewhat awkwardly off to the side. “You’re the last to come back.”

Arthur looked troubled, which didn’t seem right considering the joyous mood permeating the air around them. “Has he been on his own all this time?”

Morgana quickly shook his head. “No, of course not. I’ve been with him. It’s not as though I could just abandon my best friend, is it?”

That seemed to reassure Arthur, and he relaxed. “Thank you.” 

And thanks to that dream, Morgana knew that everything was going to be alright. 


End file.
